1. Technical Field
This invention relates to component placement machines and, more particularly, to the use of a host server to aid in operator feeder setup on the component placement machine.
2. Related Art
A component placement machine produces a printed circuit board (PCB) typically by picking components stored in various reels mounted on feeders mounted to various slots on the machine and then placing those components on the PCB. Many procedures exist to ensure the operator sets up a component placement machine correctly for production. Two known ways to accomplish this task include the following.
When a feeder does not contain any internal intelligence, the operator scans a label on the feeder or the reel upon which the components are stored. The label contains the identification (ID) of the particular component on that feeder/reel. After the operator scans the label, the machine stores the scanned component ID. The operator then mounts the feeder in the slot that they believe is the correct slot for the product the machine is or will be running. The machine then compares the ID of the scanned component with the ID of the component expected for that slot. If the component IDs are the same the operator has mounted the correct feeder/reel in the correct slot. This method is time consuming, in that the operator must scan each feeder in order to confirm that machine is setup correctly.
Another system employs the use of smart feeders. Smart feeders have the ability to store information about the components stored on the reels mounted on the feeder such as the component ID. Typically a memory chip is used and is programmed at an offline setup station. Again the operator mounts the feeder in the particular slot on the machine which they believe is the correct slot for receiving the particular component. The machine then reads the memory chip to determine the component ID and compares that ID with ID expected for that slot. If the IDs are correct, the operator mounted the feeder correctly. This method is expensive due to the fact that each feeder must contain means to store the component ID and the machine must be capable of reading those means.
A need exists for a method that overcomes at least one of the aforementioned, and other, deficiencies in the art.